Gulf Coast News

Port of Beaumont Purchases Former CB&I Property

On July 3, 2018, the Port of Beaumont formalized the purchase of the former Chicago Bridge & Iron fabrication facility located at 850 Pine Street, Beaumont, Texas for $8.25 million. To facilitate the growth of the property, the Port of Beaumont has entered into a public-private partnership with Allegiant Industrial Island Park, LLC. Initial plans for the property, to be named Port of Beaumont Allegiant Island Park, include rehabilitation of the fabrication facility and paint shop, full rebuild of the docks, and upgrades to all utilities.

OP/ED: How Growth Can Benefit the Environment

You might call 2017 a banner year for California ports. San Pedro Bay, home to the nation's leading twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach exceeded their pre-recession peaks. Collectively, San Pedro Bay was up 7.2% from its 2006 peak. It took a decade to get there and while you wouldn't want that sort of annualized growth going forward, it did arguably mark the end of San Pedro Bay's recession dip. More importantly, growth looks to continue in 2018. As of the end of May, year to date container volumes are 3.7% higher over the same period in 2017.

US Oil Exports to India Soar Ahead of Iran Sanctions

U.S. crude oil exports to India hit a record in June and so far this year are almost double last year's total as the Asian nation's refiners move to replace supplies from Iran and Venezuela in a win for the Trump administration.U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has been pressuring its allies to cut imports of Iranian goods to zero by November and India's shift advances the U.S. administration efforts to use energy to further its political goals.The United States has become a major crude exporter…

Marine Jet Power Hires Tilton

Jordan Tilton has rejoined the Marine Jet Power (MJP) sales team as Program Manager responsible for key account management and aftermarket business development in the Americas.Tilton has more than 15 years experience in the commercial marine sector. He began his career on the Great Lakes captaining high speed ferries and also worked as a captain on board yachts and commercial vessels in the Gulf Coast and Caribbean before joining U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Air…

Largest Oil Shipment Sent from Vancouver to China Since 2015

An Aframax tanker is scheduled to deliver the largest shipment of crude oil from Vancouver to China since January 2015 later this month, Thomson Reuters trade flow data show.For years, Canadian officials have pushed for an escalation in crude exports to rapidly growing Asian markets, but companies in the oil-rich Alberta have limited capacity to move crude to the nation's western coastline.That makes Canadian crude exports from Vancouver to Asia rare, but shipments have picked up in recent months, with oil tankers to China, Thailand and South Korea departing in April and July.

Macroeconomic Trends Signal Good News for Shipping

The current global economic growth (GDP) looks like it may be as good as it gets, with indicators across the globe signaling healthy expansion, but at a slower pace compared to the levels seen in the last half of 2017.Global economic growth seems on track to reach its highest level since 2011, as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) maintain its projection for the world GDP at 3.9 percent and expects the global economic growth to be supported by a strong momentum, favorable market sentiment and accommodative financial conditions in 2018 and 2019.

Corpus Christi Gearing Up to Handle US Shale Export Boom

Port officials on Tuesday are expected to consider $300 million in financing that would prepare the country's largest oil-export port - Corpus Christi, Texas - to handle a surge in U.S. shale production over the next five years.International buyers would like more U.S. crude but are unable to get it because of infrastructure constraints along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Terminals originally designed for imports only recently have revamped operations to handle exports including accepting…

Colonial Pipeline Allows Port Arthur Refiners to Ship Fuel after Harvey

Colonial Pipeline, the largest fuel system in the United States, said on Monday that Port Arthur, Texas refiners can use their own pumps as a temporary solution to get gasoline and other products into its main lines. Flow rates on Colonial's lines, which supply more than 3 million barrels a day of fuel to the populous U.S. east coast, have been sharply reduced after Hurricane Harvey caused massive floods and damaged supply points, including at Port Arthur. The Port Arthur facility connects directly to Total and Valero's refineries in Jefferson County, Texas.

Caribbean Oil Terminals Prepare for Hurricane Maria

Several Caribbean oil storage terminals that temporarily closed ahead of Hurricane Irma earlier this month have started making preparations in case they have to shut again due to Hurricane Maria, which was a rare Category 5 storm on Tuesday. Shippers and traders in the Atlantic basin are struggling amid this year's very active storm season, which has seen seven hurricanes so far, four of them major hurricanes, defined as at least a Category 3 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. Hurricane Harvey hit the U.S.

Dominican Republic Shuts Most Ports ahead of Hurricane Maria

Dominican Republic closed most of its ports ahead of Hurricane Maria, but the country's 34,000-barrel-per-day refinery was still running, the government said on Wednesday. Ports that suspended operations under the "red alert" declared for extreme weather conditions are La Romana, Samana, Arroyo Barril, Puerto Plata and Manzanillo, the Dominican Port Authority said in a statement. Maria was a Category 4 hurricane when it hit Puerto Rico earlier on Wednesday. The ports of San Souci and Haina…

Wiernicki Named Mass. Maritime’s Person of the Year

Christopher J. Wiernicki, Chairman, President and CEO of ABS, was recognized for his distinguished career of excellence, innovation and service to the maritime industries by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) as this year’s recipient of the Maritime Person of the Year Award on September 21, 2017 in New York City. The honoree is presented with the Captain Emery Rice Medal and awarded annually to a civilian or military leader from around the globe. Named for an 1895 MMA graduate and World War I hero…

Locks Failure Highlights US Infrastructure Woes

The Ohio River was closed to commercial navigation on Monday near Brookport, Illinois, after a hydraulic system used to open and close lock gates at lock and dam 53 failed, the Waterways Council said. A queue of more than 65 towboats was waiting to pass through the area on Monday morning, the group said in a news release. The closure was the latest headache for shippers scrambling to haul newly harvested soybeans from Midwest farms to export terminals along the Gulf Coast. U.S.

Managing the New Panamax Containerships

The explosive growth of international boxships is challenging not only the physical infrastructure of North American ports, but also the very nature of the existing supply chains that they impact. The recent dialogue on container shipping has been all about so-called “mega-ships;” those vessels that with larger capacity than those that are already in service at any point in time. In the container trades, as in tanker and drybulk arenas, ocean-going vessels are one link, albeit an important component, within broader supply chains.

Interview: Brandy Christian - President & CEO, Port of New Orleans

Brandy D. Christian serves as the President and CEO of the Port of New Orleans, a public agency that manages more than $60 million in revenues, nearly 300 employees and $200 million in capital projects. Christian is one of 11 female port directors in North America and the first female CEO in the Port of New Orleans’ 120-year history. She brings a global perspective and experience building high performance teams in complex organizations to the role, and emphasizes strategic focus, collaborative partnerships and bold action.

Rail Shipments of Canadian Oil to US Seen Rising over 60%

Canadian crude shipments to the United States by rail could rise more than 60 percent this year on demand by Gulf Coast refiners for the heavy crudes and the wide differential between Canadian grades and the U.S. benchmark. The rail shipments could reach as much as 350,000 barrels per day (bpd) by year end and average some 400,000 bpd in 2019, estimated analysts at Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. Last year, the shipments averaged 130,000 bpd, according to U.S. government data. Canadian crudes have been replacing heavy oil from Venezuela and Mexico at the Gulf Coast…

Pharma-Safe Expands into West Texas

Health and safety services provider Pharma-Safe Industrial Services said it has expanded into the West Texas market through the addition of a new office in Midland. In conjunction with Pharma-Safe’s new office, the company announced that Tony McWilliams will join as the West Texas Area Manager. With more than 20 years of experience, McWilliams will lead business development strategies for health, safety and environmental services and deliver exceptional results to clients. “Tony’s experience will help drive our company’s sales strategy and continued growth across the Gulf Coast…

TRAC Intermodal Gears Up for Gulf Coast Resin Exports

TRAC Intermodal is expanding and improving the quality of its chassis fleet in the Gulf Region to meet an expected surge in U.S. resin exports. The TRAC Gulf Regional Pool (TGRP) now offers the largest and most modern fleet of chassis in the ports of Houston, Dallas, Mobile, New Orleans and El Paso as well as several other locations. TRAC has refurbished over 20 percent of its TGRP fleet to ensure that customers have access to the highest quality and most reliable chassis in the Gulf port complex.

Natural Catastrophes Dominate 2018 Marine Risk Landscape

Business interruption (BI) and cyber incidents interlink as the major threat for companies globally in 2018, according to the insight of 1,911 risk experts from 80 countries in the Allianz Risk Barometer 2018. However, for marine and shipping companies, natural catastrophes (34 percent), including storm, floods and earthquakes, takes the top spot – up from number four in 2017. BI tied with cyber incidents (31 percent), for the second spot followed by theft/fraud/corruption (27 percent) and fire/explosion (25 percent) to round out the top five business risks in the maritime sector for 2018.

Logistec Acquires Gulf Stream Marine

Logistec Corporation announced  the expansion of its network of terminals through the strategic acquisition of Gulf Stream Marine. This transaction will allow Logistec to establish a stronghold in the U.S. Gulf, strengthen its position in a high-growth market in the United States, provide access to an experienced talent pool, facilitate knowledge transfer between the two organizations, and generate immediate positive benefits to shareholders. This acquisition also represents a major expansion of our network of terminals in the USA.

Port Manatee Draws German Interest

Port Manatee holds promise as a trade gateway for German companies, according to Germany’s Miami-based consul general, who visited the Florida Gulf Coast port Thursday [March 15]. “Port Manatee is an important part of Florida infrastructure,” said Annette Klein, Germany’s consul general for Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. “As German companies look for a U.S. port to meet their needs, it is important for us to be aware of such ports and their capabilities and objectives.

City of North Port, Port Manatee Trade Hub Host Chilean Official

The City of North Port and the International Trade Hub at Port Manatee are teaming with Chile’s trade commissioner in efforts to expand commercial links. “We look forward to realizing vast untapped potential for enhanced ties with both North Port and Port Manatee,” Sacha Garafulic, Chile’s Miami-based trade commissioner, said Wednesday [March 28] as he took part in a symposium and luncheon at North Port’s Shannon Staub Library. North Port Vice Mayor Linda Yates commented Wednesday…

New Ro/Ro Facility Coming to Alabama

Plans are in motion to develop a new vehicle processing roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) facility at Alabama’s Port of Mobile in the U.S.Today in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Alabama State Port Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding with AutoMobile International Terminal, a joint venture of Terminal Zárate S.A. and SAAM Puertos S.A., to develop and operate the new $60 million facility, which is expected to be completed in 2019.The agreement marks a giant step forward in supporting automotive logistics in the Americas and abroad…

Freeport LNG Delays Start of Texas Export Terminal

Freeport LNG, a privately held U.S. liquefied natural gas company, said on Thursday it pushed back the projected start date for its $13 billion export terminal under construction in Texas by about nine months to around Sept. 1, 2019.Freeport LNG now expects the first liquefaction train to enter service around Sept. 1, 2019, with the second and third trains seen in service around Jan. 1 and May 1, 2020, respectively, said Zdenek Gerych, a spokesman at Freeport.Previously, the three…

Ships Carrying US Sorghum U-turn after China Tariffs

Several ships carrying cargoes of sorghum from the United States to China have changed course since Beijing slapped hefty anti-dumping deposits on U.S. imports of the grain, trade sources and a Reuters analysis of export and shipping data showed.Sorghum is a niche animal feed and a tiny slice of the billions of dollars in exports at stake in the trade dispute between the world's two largest economies, which threatens to disrupt the flow of everything from steel to electronics.The supply-chain pain felt by sorghum suppliers on the Pacific…

Tightening CA Environmental Regs Could Impact West Coast Supply Chains

In a similar fashion to Gulf coast offshore energy producers who, in some instances, must document and count the environmental impact of their third party standby boats, offshore service vessels and other assets, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles could soon be burdened with yet another layer of environmental rules. In Southern California, beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) are bracing for yet another set of regulations; this time as a function of cargo transported to and from warehouses and even off-site intermodal rail yards.

PDVSA Halts Caribbean Storage, Shipping; Diverts Oil Cargo

Venezuela's state-run PDVSA suspended oil storage and shipping from its Caribbean facilities following a move by ConocoPhillips to temporarily seize the firm's assets on four islands, according to a PDVSA source and Reuters data.PDVSA has begun concentrating most shipping in its main crude terminal of Jose on Venezuela's eastern coast and recalling tankers to Venezuelan waters to avoid seizures that would further cut its exports and worsen an economy on the verge of collapse.U.S.…